Optical Device and Method for Manufacturing Same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an optical device and a method for manufacturing the same. The technical object of the invention is to realize a surface emitting body which allows heat generated from a light-emitting chip to be easily dissipated, eliminates the need for an additional wiring layer, and allows a singular light emitting chips or a plurality of light emitting chips to be arranged in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel. The present invention discloses an optical device comprising: a substrate; a plurality of light emitting chips disposed on the substrate; a plurality of conductive wires which electrically connect the substrate with the light emitting chips such that the plurality of light emitting chips are connected to each other in series, in parallel or in series-parallel; and a protective layer which covers the plurality of light emitting chips and the plurality of conductive wires on the substrate.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/040,166, filed Sep. 27, 2013, titled “Optical Device and Method forManufacturing Same,” naming Ki Myung Nam, Tae-Hwan Song, and Young-ChulJun as inventors, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/583,559, filed Sep. 7, 2012 titled “Optical Device and Method forManufacturing Same,” naming Ki Myung Nam, Tae-Hwan Song, and Young-ChulJun as inventors, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,921,879, which is a §371application of International Patent Application PCT/KR2011/002177 filedMar. 30, 2011, which claims priority to Korean Application No.10-2010-0029460 filed Mar. 31, 2010, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No.14/603,931, filed Jan. 23, 2015, titled “Optical Device and Method forManufacturing Same,” naming Ki Myung Nam, Tae-Hwan Song, and Young-ChulJun as inventors, and issued Dec. 15, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,214,453,the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to optical devices and a method ofmanufacturing the optical device.

BACKGROUND ART

An optical device generally refers to an element which generates lightin response to an electrical signal applied thereto. Such opticaldevices are being used in a variety of areas. Among these areas, thearea of display is gradually being developed, and thus research intooptical devices is vigorous and ongoing.

Among optical devices, a light emitting chip (light emitting diode(LED)) has higher efficiency and emits light of a higher brightnesscompared to existing optical devices and so is responsible for havingcaused a rapid increase in the usage of the light emitting chip.

The light emitting chip generates light by virtue of binding a hole withan electron, and also generates heat in addition to the light at thetime of the binding. Here, if heat from the light emitting chip is notdissipated, this may create the risk of the device breaking anddegradation in operating efficiency.

In addition, if there is a short circuit in an electrode when the lightemitting chip is packaged to form a device, the light emitting chip willbe broken, thus decreasing the reliability. Accordingly, there is a needto configure a device which can assure easy dissipation of heat from thelight emitting chip and prevent a short circuit between electrodes.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

The technical object of the invention is to provide an optical deviceembodying a surface emitting body and a method of manufacturing theoptical device, which allows heat generated from a light-emitting chipto be easily dissipated, eliminates the need for an additional wiringlayer, and allows a single or a plurality of light emitting chips to bearranged in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel.

Technical Solution

An optical device according to the present invention includes: asubstrate; a plurality of light emitting chips disposed on thesubstrate; a plurality of conductive wires which electrically connectthe substrate with the light emitting chips such that the plurality oflight emitting chips are connected to each other in series, in parallelor in series-parallel; and a protective layer which covers the pluralityof light emitting chips and the plurality of conductive wires on thesubstrate.

The substrate includes: a plurality of conductive bulks which arearranged in at least one row direction and at least one columndirection; a penetrating insulation member disposed between theplurality of conductive bulks; and at least one conductive layer formedon upper surfaces of the plurality of conductive bulks.

The plurality of light emitting chips are attached to the at least oneconductive layer by means of a conductive adhesive and connected toanother adjacent conductive layer by means of the conductive wires.

The penetrating insulation member further includes insulative fixingmembers disposed on the top and the bottom thereof and covering theplurality of conductive bulks.

The optical device further includes terminal layers formed on upper,lower or lateral surface of at least one of the plurality of conductivebulks.

The optical device further includes an insulation layer or a radiationplate disposed on a lower surface of at least one of the plurality ofconductive bulks.

The plurality of conductive bulks include a plurality of protrusionsformed on upper surfaces thereof.

The number of the conductive bulks in a row direction and the number ofthe conductive bulks in a column direction are the same or differentfrom each other.

The plurality of light emitting chips are arranged in at least one rowdirection and at least one column direction, and the number of the lightemitting chips in a row direction and the number of the light emittingchips in a column direction are the same as or different from eachother.

The optical device further includes a barrier formed on the substratesuch that the barrier surrounds the protective layer.

The barrier has a rectangular or circular shape when viewed in a plan.

The protective layer has a convex lens shape which is convex when viewedin cross-section.

The substrate includes: a plurality of conductive bulks; a plurality ofpenetrating insulation members disposed between the plurality ofconductive bulks; an insulation layer formed on an upper surface of atleast one of the plurality of conductive bulks; and a conductive layerformed on an upper surface of at least one of the plurality ofconductive bulks.

The plurality of light emitting chips are attached to the insulationlayer, the light emitting chips are connected to each other by means ofthe conductive wires and the light emitting chips and the conductivelayer are connected to each other by means of the conductive wires.

The substrate includes: a conductive bulk; an insulation layer formed onan upper surface of the conductive bulk; a plurality of electrode layersformed on a surface of the insulation layer; and a plurality of terminallayers formed on a surface of the insulation layer.

The plurality of light emitting chips are attached to the electrodelayers by means of a conductive adhesive, and the plurality ofconductive wires connect the light emitting chips to the electrodelayers, the light emitting chips to the terminal layers, and theelectrode layers to the light emitting chips.

An optical device according to the present invention includes: asubstrate comprising a first conductive bulk having a disk shape, asecond conductive bulk having an annular disk shape and surrounding thefirst conductive bulk and a penetrating insulation member disposedbetween the first conductive bulk and the second conductive bulk; aplurality of light emitting chips arranged on the first and secondconductive bulks of the substrate; a plurality of conductive wires forconnecting the plurality of light emitting chips to the first or secondconductive bulk of the substrate; and a protective layer covering theplurality of light emitting chips and the conductive wires on thesubstrate.

The optical device further includes a conductive layer formed on uppersurfaces of the first and second conductive bulks, and a terminal layerformed on lower surfaces of the first and second conductive bulks.

A method of manufacturing an optical device, according to the presentinvention includes: forming pattern layers covering upper and lowersurfaces of a metal plate; anodizing a region of the metal plate whichis exposed through the pattern layer, thus providing a penetratinginsulation member passing through the metal plate and a substratecontaining a plurality of regions separated by the penetratinginsulation member; removing the pattern layer to expose the substrate;filling pores of the penetrating insulation member or sealing orificesof the pores; attaching light emitting chips to the plurality ofseparated regions of the substrate, respectively; bonding the lightemitting chips to at least one of the plurality of regions of thesubstrate by means of conductive wires such that the light emittingchips are connected to each other in series, in parallel or inseries-parallel; and forming a protective layer on the substrate tocover the light emitting chips and the conductive wires.

Anodizing the region of the metal plate is performed such that theplurality of separated regions have the same surface area or differentsurface areas.

A method of manufacturing an optical device, according to the presentinvention includes: preparing a plurality of metal plates; formingadhesive insulation members on boundary surfaces of the metal plates;laminating the plurality metal plates with the adhesive insulationmembers disposed between the metal plates; partially cutting the metalplates in a direction perpendicular to the boundary surfaces and thencompletely cutting the metal plates, thus providing a substratecontaining a plurality of regions electrically isolated by the adhesiveinsulation members; attaching a plurality of light emitting chips on theplurality of separated regions of the substrate, respectively; bondingthe plurality of light emitting chips to at least one of the pluralityof regions of the substrate using conductive wires such that theplurality of light emitting chips are connected to each other in series,in parallel or in series-parallel; and forming a protective layer on thesubstrate to cover the light emitting chips and the conductive wires.

Partially and completely cutting the metal plates are performed suchthat the plurality of separated regions have the same surface area ordifferent surface areas.

Partially cutting the metal plates is performed in such a way as to forma slit in the metal plates such that the plurality of regions of thesubstrate are separated from each other and to fill the slit with anadhesive insulation member.

Advantageous Effects

The optical device and method of manufacturing the optical deviceaccording to the present invention uses aluminum or aluminum alloy as asubstrate, thus allowing heat generated from a light emitting chip to berapidly dissipated outside through the substrate.

Furthermore, since the optical device and method of manufacturing theoptical device according to the present invention use aluminum oraluminum alloy serving as wiring layers, there is no need to formadditional complicated wiring layers.

In addition, since the optical device and method of manufacturing theoptical device according to the present invention separates a substrateusing a plurality of insulation layers, a plurality of light emittingchips can be connected to each other in series, in parallel or inseries-parallel, thus realizing a surface emitter without difficulty.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1a to 1c are a cross-sectional view, a plan view and an equivalentcircuit schematic, respectively, which show an optical device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical device according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3a and 3b are a cross-sectional view and a fragmentary enlargedview showing an optical device according to a further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an optical device according to a stillfurther embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5a and 5b are cross-sectional views showing an optical deviceaccording to a still further embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6a and 6b are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing anoptical device according to a still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 7a and 7b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 8a and 8b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an optical device according to a stillfurther embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 10a and 10b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 11a and 11b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 12a and 12b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 13a and 13b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the method of manufacturing anoptical device according to the still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 15a and 15h are plan views illustrating the method ofmanufacturing an optical device, shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the method of manufacturing anoptical device according to the still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 17a to 17f are perspective views showing part of the method ofmanufacturing an optical device, shown in FIG. 16. The method will nowbe described with reference to FIG. 16.

BEST MODE

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings so as to allow theinvention to be easily implemented by those skilled in the art to whichthe invention pertains.

FIGS. 1a to 1c are a cross-sectional view, a plan view and an equivalentcircuit schematic, respectively, which show an optical device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

As showing in FIGS. 1a to 1c , the optical device 100 according to theembodiment of the present invention comprises a substrate 110, aplurality of light emitting chips 120, a plurality of conductive wires130, a barrier 140 and a protective layer 150.

The substrate 110 is configured to have an approximately flat shape,which includes a plurality of conductive bulks 111, a plurality ofpenetrating insulation members 112, a plurality of insulative fixingmembers 113, a plurality of conductive layers 114, a plurality ofterminal layers 115 and a plurality of insulation layers 116.

The plurality of conductive bulks 111 are arranged in at least one rowas well as in at least one column. In an example, the plurality ofconductive bulks 111 may be composed of one row of bulks and threecolumns of bulks, but the present invention is not intended to belimited to this arrangement. The conductive bulks 111 may be made ofmetal plates which have excellent electric conductivity and thermalconductivity. For instance, the conductive bulks 111 may be made of anyone selected from among aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy,iron, iron alloy and its equivalents, but the present invention is notintended to be limited to these. As a result, the conductive bulks 111are capable of not only allowing electric signals to be easilytransmitted to the light emitting chips 120 but also to allow heatgenerated from the light emitting chips 120 to be easily and rapidlydissipated.

The plurality of penetrating insulation members 112 are interposedbetween the plurality of conductive bulks 111 so as to interconnect theplurality of conductive bulks 111 to form a single substrate 110. Sincea width of each penetrating insulation member 112 is very small comparedto that of each of the conductive bulks 111, the majority of thesubstrate 110 is composed of the conductive bulks 111. Consequently, theradiation performance of the optical device 100 according to the presentinvention is further improved. The penetrating insulation members 112may be formed by anodization of the conductive bulks 111 or may be usualadhesive insulation members, but the present invention is not intendedto limit the material of the penetrating insulation members 112.

The plurality of insulative fixing members 113 may be provided at boththe tops and the bottoms of the penetrating insulation members 112.Furthermore, the insulative fixing members 113 may occupy partial areasof the upper and lower surfaces of the conductive bulks 111 which arepositioned at peripheries of the top and the bottom of the penetratinginsulation members 112. The insulative fixing members 113 function notonly to protect the penetrating insulation members 112, which arerelatively soft, but also to prevent the substrate 110, which iscomposed of the plurality of conductive bulks 111, from warping. Theinsulative fixing members 113 may be made of, for example, any one fromamong polyphthalamide(PPA), epoxy resin, photosensitive paste,equivalents and mixtures thereof, but the present invention is notintended to limit the material used to make the insulative fixingmembers 113.

The plurality of conductive layers 114 is formed on the upper surfacesof the conductive bulks 111. The conductive layers 114 serve as areas towhich the light emitting chips 120 are substantially attached usingadhesive 121 or to which the conductive wires 130 are substantiallybonded. Furthermore, the conductive layers 114 also serve as areas whichreflect light generated from the light emitting chips 120. To this end,the conductive layers 114 may be made of at least one selected fromamong gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni),tungsten (W), palladium (Pd) and equivalents, which are excellent inelectric conductivity and light reflectivity, or alloys thereof.Preferably, the conductive layers 114 may be made of silver (Ag) whichhas excellent electric conductivity and light reflectivity.

The plurality of terminal layers 115 are formed on lower surfaces of theconductive bulks 111. For instance, referring to FIG. 1a , the terminallayers 115 may be formed on a lower surface of the leftmost conductivebulk 111 and a lower surface of the rightmost conductive bulk 111. Theterminal layers 115 offer areas which enable the optical device 100according to the present invention to be mounted on external devices(for example, motherboards, main boards and so on). To this end, theterminal layers 115 may be made of at least one selected from copper(Cu), nickel/gold (Ni/Au), nickel/palladium/gold (Ni/Pd/Au), silver (Ag)and equivalents, or alloys thereof. Although not shown in the drawings,the terminal layers 115 may be conductive terminals which areelectrically attached to the conductive bulks 111 using screws or tape.

The plurality of insulation layers 116 are formed on the lower surfacesof the conductive bulks 111. Referring to FIG. 1a , the insulationlayers 116 may be formed, for example, on the lower surfaces of twoconductive bulks 111 which are positioned nearest to the center. Theinsulation layers 116 function to prevent the lower surfaces of theconductive bulks 111 from being exposed, thus avoiding the creation ofan undesired electric short. To this end, the insulation layers 116 maybe made of any one selected from among a common insulative sheet,polyimide, PBO (polybenzoxazole) and equivalents, but the presentinvention is not intended to limit the material of the insulation layers116. Furthermore, in order to further improve radiation performance, thepresent invention may be configured such that radiating plates,radiating pads or radiating fins are directly attached to the lowersurfaces of the conductive bulks 111, instead of the insulation layers116. In this respect, additional solders, solder bumps or solder ballsmay be attached to the terminal layers 115 so as to attain apredetermined thickness.

The plurality of light emitting chips 120 are attached to the uppersurface of at least one conductive bulk 111 of the substrate 110. Inother words, the light emitting chips 120 are adhesively attached to theconductive layers 114 formed on the conductive bulk 111, by means ofconductive adhesive 121. Referring to FIG. 1b , the conductive layer 114formed on the upper surface of the first conductive bulk 111, viewedfrom the left, may be provided with, for example, four light emittingchips 120 adhesively attached thereto. The conductive layer 114 formedon the upper surface of the second conductive bulk 111, viewed from theleft, is provided with four light emitting chips 120 adhesively attachedthereto. The conductive layer 114 formed on the upper surface of thethird conductive bulk 111, viewed from the left, is provided with fourlight emitting chips 120 adhesively attached thereto. At the same time,there is no light emitting chip 120 adhesively attached to the uppersurface of the fourth conductive bulk 111. The conductive adhesive 121may be made of any one selected from eutectic solder (Sn37Pb), high leadsolder (Sn95Pb) and lead-free solder (SnAg, SnAu, SnCu, SnZn, SnZnBi,SnAgCu, SnAgBi etc.), but the present invention is not intended to limitthe material of the conductive adhesive 121. Although a light emittingchip array having a 4×3 arrangement of light emitting chips isillustrated in FIG. 1b , the present invention is also not limited tothe array. Specifically, the numbers of the light emitting chips 120placed in a row and in a column may be identical to or different fromeach other, and locations of the light emitting chips 120 may be variedin various combinations. Furthermore, the light emitting chips 120 maybe a common light emitting diode (LED), but the present invention is notintended to limit the kind of the light emitting chip 120.

The plurality of conductive wires 130 electrically connect theconductive bulks 111 adjacent to the light emitting chips 120 to eachother. Specifically, the conductive wires 130 may be bonded at one endto the light emitting chips 120 by means of ball bonding technology andmay be bonded at the other end to the conductive layer 114 by means ofstitch bonding technology, and vice versa. Consequently, one of theconductive bulks 111 is electrically connected to the adjacentconductive bulk 111 via the light emitting chips 120 and the conductivewires 130. In an example, referring to FIG. 1b , the conductive wires130 electrically connect the light emitting chips 120 of the firstcolumn to the conductive layer 114 of the second column. Furthermore,the conductive wires 130 electrically connect the light emitting chips120 of the second column to the conductive layer 114 of the thirdcolumn. Likewise, the conductive wires 130 electrically connect thelight emitting chips 120 of the third column to the conductive layer 114of the fourth column. With the connecting configuration of the substrate110 and the conductive wires 130, the optical device 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention is constructed such that about fourlight emitting chips are connected to each other in parallel and threecolumns of light emitting chips, each column having four light emittingchips, are connected to each other in series, as illustrated in FIG. 1c.

The barrier 140 is formed on the substrate 110 to have a predeterminedthickness. The barrier 140 functions to define a region of theprotective layer 150, which will be described later. Referring to FIG.1b , the barrier 140 is configured in the form of an approximate squareline, but the present is not intended to be limited to the shape of thebarrier 140. The barrier 140 may be made of epoxy resin, photosensitivebarrier rib paste (PSR) or mixtures thereof, and may be made of siliconein some cases. However, the present invention is not intended to limitthe material of the barrier 140.

The protective layer 150 covers all of the plurality of light emittingchips 120 and the plurality of conductive wires 130 on the substrate110. Consequently, the protective layer 150 protects the plurality oflight emitting chips 120 and the plurality of conductive wires 130 onthe substrate 110 from the external electric, physical, mechanical andchemical environments. It goes without saying that the horizontal widthof the protective layer 150 is restricted by the barrier 140. Theprotective layer 150 may be prepared by mixing epoxy resin withconventional florescent material. The florescent material is excited byapplication of visible light or ultraviolet rays generated from thelight emitting chips 120, and subsequently generates visible light wayas it stabilizes. Accordingly, the protective layer 150, which is madeof florescent material, may convert the light generated from the lightemitting chips 120 into red, green and blue (RGB) lights. Accordingly,the optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention may be used as a back light unit (BLU) of a liquid crystaldisplay panel. In other words, the optical device 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention may be used as a surface emittingdevice.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical device according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical device 200 according to anotherembodiment of the present invention is almost identical to the opticaldevice that has been previously described. Therefore, only thedifference between this optical device and the previous optical devicewill be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical device 200 according to the presentinvention has terminal layers 215 which may be formed on lateralsurfaces of conductive bulks 111. It goes without saying that insulationlayers 116 are formed on lower surfaces of all the conductive bulks 111to avoid the creation of an undesired electric short. With thisconfiguration, the optical device according to another embodiment of thepresent invention enables electric signals to be applied laterally.Although not shown in the drawings, the terminal layers 115 may also beformed on an upper surface of the leftmost conductive bulk 111 and anupper surface of the rightmost conductive bulk 111. With thisconfiguration, the optical device 200 according to another embodiment ofthe present invention enables various mount structures to be achieved.In other words, positions of the terminal layers 215 may be changeddepending on the configuration or design of external devices, thusallowing the optical device 200 to be easily mounted.

FIGS. 3a and 3b are a cross-sectional view and a fragmentary enlargedview showing an optical device according to a further embodiment of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b , the optical device 300 according to thefurther embodiment of the present invention may be configured such thatupper surfaces of a plurality of conductive bulks 111 are provided witha plurality of fine protrusions or textured portions 111 a. In otherwords, a surface roughness of the conductive bulks 111 is relativelyhigh. The fine protrusions or textured portions 111 a may be embodiedusing conventional sand blasting or chemical etching technology. By theformation of the fine protrusions or textured portions 111 a on theconductive bulks 111, the surfaces of the conductive layers 114, whichis formed on the fine uneven or textured portions 111 a, arecorrespondingly provided with a plurality of fine protrusions ortextured portions 114 a. The protrusions or textured portions increasethe bonding area of the conductive adhesive 121 to which a lightemitting chips 120 are adhesively attached, thus increasing the adhesivestrength of attachment of the light emitting chips 120. In addition, theprotrusions or textured portions increase the bonding area of a barrier140, thus increasing adhesive strength of the barrier 140. Furthermore,the protrusions or the textured portions increase adhesive strengthbetween a protective layer 150 and the substrate 110, so that boundaryseparation caused by the difference in coefficient of thermal expansionbetween the substrate 110 and the protective layer 150 is suppressed. Inaddition, the protrusions or textured portions cause a diffusereflection of light emitted from the light emitting chips 120, resultingin higher brightness and uniform roughness, thus providing a moreexcellent surface emitter.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an optical device according to a stillfurther embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the optical device 400 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is different because thenumbers of light emitting chips 120 in a row are different from eachother and the numbers of light emitting chips 120 in a column aredifferent from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an uppersurface of the first left conductive bulk 111 is provided with two lightemitting chips 120. An upper surface of the second conductive bulk 111is provided with four light emitting chips 120. An upper surface of thethird conductive bulk 111 is provided with two light emitting chips 120.At the same time, an upper surface of the fourth conductive bulk 111 isnot provided with the light emitting chips 120. It goes without sayingthat the numbers of the light emitting chips 120 in the presentinvention are not restricted, and many different numbers of lightemitting chips 120 may be provided.

In this embodiment, a barrier 440, which is formed on an upper surfaceof a substrate 110, may be configured to have an approximate annularshape, when viewed in a plan. Accordingly, protective layers 450 formedinside the barrier 440 are also configured to have an approximateannular shape. It goes without saying that the present invention is notintended to limit the shapes of the barrier 440 and the protectivelayers 450. In other words, the light emitting chips 120 may be variedin number and disposition according to the user's intention and thedesired design. Designs of the barrier 440 and the protective layers 450may also be variously varied.

FIGS. 5a and 5b are cross-sectional views showing an optical deviceaccording to a still further embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5a , the optical device 500 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention may have no barrier.Instead, a protective layer 550, which covers a plurality of lightemitting chips 120, may be configured to have a convex lens shape whichis convex at an upper portion when viewed in cross-section.Consequently, the present invention enables a surface emitter having afocus to be embodied. On the other hand, the present invention may alsooffer a concave lens which is concave at an upper portion.

As shown in FIG. 5b , an optical device 500 a according to a stillfurther embodiment of the present invention may have a configuration inwhich respective protective layers 550 a cover the corresponding lightemitting chips 120. Furthermore, the protective layers 550 a may becovered with dome type lenses 560. The dome type lenses 560 may bemanufactured by a molding process, preferably through a molding processusing a transparent or translucent encapsulant. Likewise, each of thelenses may also be configured to have a convex or concave lens shapewhich is convex or concave at the upper portion when viewed incross-section. Since the optical device 500 a is configured such thatrespective light emitting chips 120 are covered with the separateprotective layers 550 a and the dome type lenses 560, it may be cut intoseparate unit optical devices. Specifically, the substrate 110 is cutbetween the dome type lenses, resulting in separate unit light emittingdevices. In this embodiment, the cutting process may includeconventional cutting processes using any one selected from among adiamond blade, a laser beam, chemical etching and equivalents, and thepresent invention is not limited to these cutting processes.

FIG. 6a is a plan view and FIG. 6b is a cross-sectional view showing anoptical device according to a still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

As shown in FIGS. 6a and 5b , the optical device 600 according to thestill further embodiment of the present invention comprises a substrate610, a plurality of light emitting chips 620, a plurality of conductivewires 630, a barrier 640 and a protective layer 650.

The substrate 610 includes a first conductive bulk 611 a, a secondconductive bulk 611 b, and a penetrating insulation member 612. Thesubstrate 610 further includes insulative fixing members 613, conductivelayers 614 and terminal layers 615.

The first conductive bulk 611 a is configured to have an approximatedisk shape. The second conductive bulk 611 b is configured to have anapproximate annular shape surrounding the first conductive bulk 611 a.

The penetrating insulation member 612 is disposed between the firstconductive bulk 611 a and the second conductive bulk 611 b.

The insulative fixing members 613 are formed on the top and the bottomof the penetrating insulation member 612, and cover partial region ofupper and lower surfaces of the first and second conductive bulks 611 aand 611 b.

The conductive layers 614 are formed on upper surfaces of the first andsecond conductive bulk 611 a and 611 b, respectively.

The terminal layers 615 are formed on lower surfaces of the first andsecond conductive bulks 611 a and 611 b.

In this embodiment, since materials of the first and second conductivebulks 611 a and 611 b, the penetrating insulation member 612, theinsulative fixing members 613, the conductive layers 614 and theterminal layers 615 have been described in previous embodiments,specific descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The plurality of light emitting chips 620 may be positioned at the firstconductive bulk 611 a or the second conductive bulk 611 b. In anexample, as shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b , the plurality of light emittingchips 620 may be adhesively attached to the conductive layers 614 in anapproximate radial pattern via conductive adhesives 621.

The plurality of conductive wires 630 connect the plurality of lightemitting chips 620 to the first conductive bulk 611 a or the secondconductive bulk 611 b of the substrate 610. In an example, as shown inFIGS. 6a and 6b , the plurality of conductive wires 630 connect thelight emitting chips 620 to the conductive layer 614 of the firstconductive bulk 611 a.

The barrier 640 may be formed on an upper surface of the secondconductive bulk 611 b of the substrate 610 to form an approximateannular shape when viewed in plan view.

The conductive layer 650 is formed inside the barrier 640. Consequently,the conductive layer 650 covers the plurality of light emitting chips620 and the conductive wires 630 formed on the substrate 610 so as toprotect these from the external environment.

As described above, the present invention is capable of increasing asurface area of the second conductive bulk 611 b in the substrate 610 towhich the light emitting chips 620 are attached, thus increasingradiation performance. On the other hand, the present invention can alsobe embodied in such a way that a surface area of the first conductivebulk 611 a of the substrate 610 is relatively increased and theplurality of light emitting chips 620 are attached to the firstconductive bulk 611 a.

In this embodiment, the present invention is not intended to limit theplanar shape of the substrate 610 to a circular shape, but may bevariously varied according to a user's design, intended purpose andintended use.

FIGS. 7a and 7b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 7a , the optical device 700 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is configured such that aplurality of conductive bulks 711 constituting a substrate 710 arearranged in a lateral direction as well as in a vertical direction so asto assure various series and parallel connections. In an example, theplurality of conductive bulks 711 are arranged into four columns and tworows. It goes without saying that penetrating insulation members 712 aredisposed between the conductive bulks 711 to electrically separate theconductive bulks 711 from each other. In this embodiment, since therightmost conductive bulk 711 is not divided, the light emitting chips120 located in the first row and the light emitting chips 120 located inthe second row are electrically connected to each other via therightmost conductive bulk 711. The leftmost of the conductive bulks 711located in the first row may be provided on a lower surface with aterminal layer (not shown) and the leftmost of the conductive bulks 711located in the second row may be provided on the lower surface with aterminal layer (not shown). It goes without saying that the penetratinginsulation members 712 may be provided at upper and lower surfaces withthe insulative fixing members described above. Only the conductive bulks711 constituting the substrate 710 and the penetrating insulationmembers 712 are slightly different from those described in previousembodiments, and the remaining components are substantially identical tothose described in the previous embodiments.

The conductive bulk 711 in the first column located at the first row isconnected with two light emitting chips 120. The conductive bulk 711 inthe second column located at the first row is connected with two lightemitting chips 120. The conductive bulk 711 in the third column locatedat the first row is connected with two light emitting chips 120. Theconductive bulk 711 in the fourth column located at the second row isconnected with two light emitting chips 120. The conductive bulk 711 inthe third column located at the second row is connected with two lightemitting chips 120. The conductive bulk 711 in the second column locatedat the second row is connected with two light emitting chips 120. Eachof the conductive wires 130 is connected at one end to the correspondinglight emitting chips 120 and is connected at the other end to theadjacent conductive bulk 711.

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 7b , there is provided a surface emittingoptical device which is configured such that two light emitting chipsconstituting a pair are connected to each other in parallel and sixpairs of light emitting chips are connected to each other in series.

FIGS. 8a and 8b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 8a , the optical device 800 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is configured such that aplurality of conductive bulks 811 constituting a substrate 810 arearranged in a lateral direction as well as in a vertical direction so asto assure various series and parallel connections. In an example, theplurality of conductive bulks 811 are arranged into four columns andfour rows. It goes without saying that penetrating insulation members812 are disposed between the conductive bulks 811 to electricallyseparate the conductive bulks 811 from each other. In this embodiment,since some pairs of adjacent conductive bulks 811 are not separated fromeach other, the first row of light emitting chips 120 and the second rowof light emitting chips 120 are electrically connected to each other inseries, the second row of light emitting chips 120 and the third row oflight emitting chips 120 are electrically connected to each other inseries, and the third row of light emitting chips 120 and the fourth rowof light emitting chips 120 are electrically connected to each other inseries. The leftmost one of the conductive bulks 811 located at thefirst row may be provided on the lower surface with a terminal layer(not shown) and the leftmost one of the conductive bulks 811 located atfourth row may be provided on the lower surface with a terminal layer(not shown).

The conductive bulk 811 in the first column located at the first row isconnected with one light emitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 insecond column located at the first row is connected with one lightemitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 in the third column locatedat the first row is connected with one light emitting chip 120. Theconductive bulk 811 in the fourth column located at the second row isconnected with one light emitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 inthe third column located at the second row is connected with one lightemitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 in the second column locatedat the second row is connected with one light emitting chip 120. Theconductive bulk 811 in the third column located at the third row isconnected with one light emitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 inthe second column located at the third row is connected with one lightemitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 in the third column locatedat the third row is connected with one light emitting chip 120. Theconductive bulk 811 in the fourth column located at the fourth row isconnected with one light emitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 inthe third column located at the fourth row is connected with one lightemitting chip 120. The conductive bulk 811 in the second column locatedat the fourth row is connected with one light emitting chip 120.

Each of the conductive wires 130 is connected at one end to thecorresponding light emitting chips 120 and is connected at the other endto the adjacent conductive bulk 811.

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 8b , there is provided a surface emittingoptical device which is configured such that twelve light emitting chipsare connected to each other in series.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an optical device according to a stillfurther embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, the optical device 900 of the still furtherembodiment of the present invention is configured such that conductivebulks 911 constituting a substrate 910 may be composed of about sixcolumns. Likewise, penetrating insulation members 912 are disposedbetween the conductive bulks 911. The leftmost bulk 911 located in thefirst column is provided on the lower surface with a terminal layer (notshown) and the rightmost bulk 911 located at the sixth column isprovided on the lower surface with the other terminal layer (not shown).The light emitting chips 120 are attached in a zigzag pattern to theconductive bulks 911 constituting the substrate 910, and each of thelight emitting chips 120 is connected to the adjacent conductive bulk911 via a conductive wire 130. Consequently, there is provided a surfaceemitting optical device which is configured such that five lightemitting chips are connected to each other in series.

FIGS. 10a and 10b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention. For the sake of convenience, protective layers whichcover light emitting chips and conductive wires are not shown in thedrawings.

As shown in FIG. 10a , the optical device 1000 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is configured such that asubstrate 1010 comprises a plurality of conductive bulks 1011,penetrating conductive members 1012 disposed between the plurality ofconductive bulks 1011, an insulation layer 1017 formed on an uppersurface of at least one of the plurality of conductive bulks 1011, and aconductive layer (not shown) formed on an upper surface of at least oneof the plurality of conductive bulks 1011. Specifically, the pluralityof conductive bulks 1011 are composed of three columns. Among these, thecentral conductive bulk 1011 is provided on an upper surface with theinsulation layer 1017. Furthermore, both side conductive bulks 1011 areprovided on upper surfaces thereof with the conductive layers (notshown), and are provided on lower surfaces thereof with terminal layers(not shown).

The plurality of light emitting chips 120 are adhesively attached to theinsulation layer 1017. In this regard, since the plurality of lightemitting chips 120 are attached to the insulation layer 1017, they arenot electrically connected to the central conductive bulk 1011.

The plurality of conductive wires 130 electrically connect adjacentlight emitting chips 120 to each other, or electrically connect each ofthe light emitting chips 120 to the adjacent conductive bulk 1011. In anexample, the light emitting chips 120 located at the first row areelectrically connected to each other via conductive wires 130, and thelight emitting chips 120 located at left and right ends of the first roware connected to both of the left and right side conductive bulks 1011via the conductive wires 130. Likewise, the light emitting chips 120located in the second and third rows are connected in the same manner.

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 10b , there is provided a surfaceemitting optical device which is configured such that four lightemitting chips located in one row are connected to each other in seriesand four rows of light emitting chips are connected in parallel.

FIGS. 11a and 11b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention. For the sake of convenience, protective layers whichcover light emitting chips and conductive wires are not shown in thedrawings.

As shown in FIG. 11a , the optical device 1100 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is configured such thatlateral penetrating insulation members 1112 are further formed in theboth left and right side bulks 1111. Specifically, each of the both leftand right side conductive bulks 1111 is divided into two bulks. In thisregard, the left and upper conductive bulk 1111 is provided on a lowersurface with a terminal layer (not shown), and the right and lowerconductive bulk 1111 is provided on the lower surface with a terminallayer (not shown).

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 11b , there is provided a surfaceemitting optical device which is configured such that nine lightemitting chips are connected to each other in series.

FIGS. 12a and 12b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention. For the sake of convenience, protective layers whichcover light emitting chips and conductive wires are not shown in thedrawings.

As shown in FIG. 12a , the optical device 1200 according to the stillfurther embodiment of the present invention is configured such that alllight emitting chips 120 formed on an insulation layer 1017 areconnected to each other in series. The light emitting chip 120, which islocated in the first row and the first column, is electrically connectedto the left adjacent conductive bulk 1211 via a conductive wire 130, andthe light emitting chip 120, which is located in the third row and thethird column, is electrically connected to the right adjacent conductivebulk 1211.

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 12b , there is provided a surfaceemitting optical device which is configured such that nine lightemitting chips are connected to each other in series.

FIGS. 13a and 13b are a plan view and an equivalent circuit schematicshowing an optical device according to a still further embodiment of thepresent invention. For the sake of convenience, protective layers whichcover light emitting chips and conductive wires are not shown in thedrawings.

As shown in FIGS. 13a and 13b , the optical device 1300 according to thestill further embodiment of the present invention is configured suchthat a substrate 1310 comprises one conductive bulk 1311, an insulationlayer 1312 formed over the entire upper surface of the conductive bulk1311, a plurality of electrode layers 1313 formed on a surface of theinsulation layer 1312, and a plurality of terminal layers 1314 formed onthe surface of the insulation layer 1312. The plurality of electrodelayers 1313 are arranged in three rows and three columns. Because theplurality of electrode layers 1313 are regions to which light emittingchips 120 and conductive wires 130 are electrically connected, they maybe made of at least one selected from among gold (Au), silver (Ag),copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), tungsten (W), palladium (Pd)and equivalents, or alloys thereof. The electrode layers 1313 may beformed using a conventional spraying process, a paste process, an inkprinting process and so on, and a shape and location of the electrodelayers 1313 may be varied depending on the intentions of a user.Furthermore, it goes without saying that the electrode layers 1313 maybe formed into various shapes such that light emitting chips 120, whichwill be described later, are connected to each other in series, inparallel, or in series-parallel.

The light emitting chips 120 are attached to the respective electrodelayers 1313 using conductive adhesive (not shown), and the conductivewires connect the terminal layer 1314 to the electrode layer 1313, thelight emitting chips 120 to the electrode layers 1313, and the lightemitting layer 120 to the terminal layer 1314. In an example, theelectrode layer 1313, which is located in the first row and the firstcolumn, is electrically connected to the adjacent terminal layer 1314via the conductive wire 130. The light emitting chip 120, which islocated in the third row and the third column, is electrically connectedto the adjacent terminal layer 1314 via the conductive wire 130.

Consequently, as shown in FIG. 13b , there is provided a surfaceemitting optical device which is configured such that nine lightemitting chips are connected to each other in series.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an optical device according to astill further embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method of manufacturing anoptical device according to the still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

As shown in FIG. 14, the method of manufacturing an optical deviceaccording to the still further embodiment of the present inventioncomprises an operation of forming pattern layers (S1), an operation offorming a penetrating insulation member (S2), an operation of removingthe pattern layers (S3), an operation of filling pores (S4), anoperation of forming a conductive layer and a terminal layer (S5), anoperation of forming a barrier (S6), an operation of attaching lightemitting chips (S7), an operation of bonding wires (S8) and an operationof forming a protective layer (S9).

FIGS. 15a and 15h are plan views illustrating the method ofmanufacturing an optical device, shown in FIG. 14. The optical device,which is manufactured by the present invention, is substantiallyidentical to that shown in FIG. 7 a.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 a, in the operation of forming a patternlayer (S1), pattern layers 10 are formed on upper and lower surfaces ofa metal plate 110′. The metal plate 110′ may be made of any one selectedfrom among aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, iron, ironalloy and equivalents, but the present invention is not intended to belimited to these materials. The pattern layers 10 may be formed in sucha way as to apply a mask solution and perform exposure and developmentor to attach films on which a pattern is formed.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 b, in the operation of forming apenetrating insulation member (S2), the region exposed through thepattern layers 10 is anodized to form the penetrating insulation member712. The penetrating insulation member 712 is formed such that thepenetrating insulation member 712 vertically passes through thethickness of the metal plate 110′ and is disposed in a width direction.The penetrating insulation member 712 divides the metal plate 110′ intoa plurality of regions, and the divided regions may have the samesurface area or different surface areas. Alternatively, the penetratinginsulation member 712 may be configured such that it has flat lateralsurfaces in a thickness direction or it has a double cone-shaped sectionand lateral surfaces which are concave at their center, and whichresults from performing anodizing treatment on upper and lower surfacesof the metal plate 110′.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 c, in the operation of removing the patternlayers (S3), the pattern layers 10 are removed from the substrate 710.When the pattern layers 10 are made of a mask solution, the patternlayers 10 may be removed through an ashing process. When the patternlayers 10 are made of dry films, the pattern layers 10 may be removed byseparating the dry films from the substrate 710.

Referring to FIG. 14, in the operation of filling pores (S4), finepores, which are present in the penetrating insulation member 712 formedin the operation of forming the penetrating insulation member (S3), arefilled with any one selected from PCB (Benzocyclobuten), insulationorganic material and distilled water or combinations thereof. Thepenetrating insulation member 712 is brittle and is liable to be brokenby external force. Accordingly, the mechanical strength and insulationperformance of the penetrating insulation member 712 may be improved byfilling the pores, most of which are brittle, with the above materials.

When the pores are filled with PCB or an insulating organic material,the operation of curing the material by applying heat at a predeterminedtemperature may be further performed. Additionally, an insulative fixingmember (not shown) may be further formed on upper and lower surfaces ofthe penetrating insulation member 712 so as to further improve thestrength of the penetrating insulation member 712. Since the insulativefixing member covers partial regions of upper and lower surfaces of thesubstrate 710, warping of the substrate 710 can be prevented. Theinsulative fixing member may be made of any one selected from amongpolyphthalamide (PPA), epoxy resin, photosensitive paste, equivalentsand mixtures thereof, but the present invention is not intended to limitthe material of the insulative fixing member.

After the operation of filling pores (S4), an operation of polishingsurfaces of the substrate 710 to remove burrs or scratches generated onthe surfaces of the substrate 710 may also be carried out.

With the polishing operation, the light which is emitted from a lightemitting chip which will be bonded to a region of the substrate 710 isefficiently reflected, thus improving light efficiency. The polishingoperation may be usually performed using a buffing process.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 d, in the operation of forming a conductivelayer and a terminal layer (S5), the conductive layer 114 is formed onan upper surface of the substrate 710, and the terminal layer is formedon a lower surface (not shown) of the substrate 710. Each of theconductive layer 114 and the terminal layer may be embodied into asingle layer or a double layer. The conductive layer 114 may be made ofone selected from among gold, silver, copper, aluminum, nickel,tungsten, palladium and combinations thereof, which are excellent inelectric conductivity and electric contact. The conductive layer 114 isformed over the entire upper surface of the substrate 710. The terminallayer may be made of copper or nickel/gold which has excellent electricconductivity. The terminal layer is formed on a lower surface of aregion of the substrate 710 located at the first row and the firstcolumn, and on a lower surface of a region of the substrate 710 locatedat the second row and the first column.

The operation of forming the conductive layer 114 and the terminal layermay be performed using any one selected from among an electrolessplating process, an electrolytic plating process, a paste process, aspray process (a plasma arc spraying process or a cold sprayingprocess), an ink printing process and combinations thereof.

In an example, when the conductive wire 130, which will be connectedlater, is made of gold (Au), the conductive layer 114 may be made ofsilver (Ag) which has excellent electric conductivity and is capable ofefficiently reflecting light emitted from a light emitting chip.Furthermore, when the conductive wires 130 are made of aluminum (Al),the bonding force holding the conductive wires 130 to the substrate 710may be excellent even though the conductive layer 114 is not used.

In particular, when an electroless plating process or an electrolyticplating process is used, an additional masking treatment may beperformed in such a way that the conductive layer 114 and the terminallayer are formed only on a predetermined region of the substrate 710.

When the spraying process is used, the conductive layer 114 and theterminal layer may be selectively formed on a predetermined region ofthe substrate 710 using an additional mask.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 e, in the operation of forming a barrier(S6), the barrier 140 is formed on the conductive layer 114. The barrier140 is formed such that it protrudes vertically from an upper surface ofthe conductive layer 114. The barrier 140 may be formed using a screenprinting process or a mold process, and may be made of polyphthalamid(PPA), epoxy resin, photosensitive rib barrier paste (PSR) or mixturesthereof, or silicone.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 f, in the operation of attaching lightemitting chips (S7), a plurality of light emitting chips 120 areattached to an upper surface of the substrate 710 in a row and columnpattern, that is, in a matrix pattern. As mentioned above, the lightemitting chips 120 may be a light emitting diode (LED). The lightemitting chips 120 are attached to many regions of the substrate 710 viaconductive adhesives (not shown) applied to lower surfaces of the lightemitting chips (120).

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 g, in the operation of bonding wires (S8),the light emitting chips 120 are connected to the conductive layer 114by means of conductive wires 130. As a result of bonding of theconductive wires 130, the light emitting chips 120 are connected to eachother in series, in parallel or in series-parallel. An external signal,which is transmitted to the conductive layer 114, is transmitted to thelight emitting chip 120 through the conductive wire 130 so as to controllight emission from the light emitting chip 120.

Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 h, in the operation of forming a protectivelayer (S9), fluorescent material is applied to the region defined by thebarrier 140 to form the conductive layer 150.

The protective layer 150 is formed on an upper surface of the substrate710 such that it covers the light emitting chips 120 and the conductivewires 130. The protective layer 150 functions to protect the lightemitting chips 120 from external physical, mechanical, electrical andchemical impact. Additionally, the protective layer 150 can convertlight generated from the light emitting chips 120 into white light.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an optical device according to astill further embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating the method of manufacturing anoptical device according to the still further embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 16, the method of manufacturing an optical deviceaccording to the still further embodiment of the present inventioncomprises an operation of preparing metal plates (S11), an operation ofpreparing adhesive insulation members (S12), an operation of laminating(S13), an operation of partial cutting and complete cutting (S14), anoperation of forming a conductive layer and a terminal layer (S15), anoperation of forming a barrier (S16), an operation of attaching lightemitting chips (S17), an operation of bonding wires (S18) and anoperation of forming a protective layer (S19).

FIGS. 17a to 17f are perspective views showing part of the method ofmanufacturing an optical device, shown in FIG. 16. The method will nowbe described with reference to FIG. 16. The optical device manufacturedby this method is substantially identical to that shown in FIG. 7 a.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 a, in the operation of preparing metalplates (S11), four metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ are provided. Inthis embodiment, although the metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ areillustrated as being limited to the number of four, the number of themetal plates is not limited to the number of four and the metal platesmay be provided in a number corresponding to the desired region of asubstrate. The metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ may be made of any oneselected from among aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, ironand iron alloy. Surfaces of the metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ maybe anodized so as to increase an adhesion force to adhesive insulationmembers in a later operation and to increase insulation propertiesbetween the metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ and voltage resistance.Furthermore, the metal plates 111′, 112′ 113′, 114′ may be provided atboundary surfaces therebetween with roughness by being subjected tosandblasting, chemical etching, grinding or polishing process, so as toincrease adhesion force to the adhesive insulation members. The metalplates 111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ are vertically stacked, thus definingsubsequent regions of substrates.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 b, in the operation of preparing adhesiveinsulation members (S12), the adhesive insulation members 115′ areprovided on boundary surfaces between the metal plates 111′, 112′, 113′,114′.

The adhesive insulation members 115′ function to bond the metal plates111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ to each other while electrically isolating themetal plates 111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ from each other. The adhesiveinsulation members 115′ may be composed of liquid adhesive or sheetfilms.

The adhesive insulation members 115′ will constitute a penetratinginsulation member 712 of the substrate 710.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 c, in the operation of laminating (S13),the metal plates 111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ are laminated with the adhesiveinsulation members 115′ disposed therebetween. Consequently, theadhesive insulation members 115′ are provided between the metal plates111′, 112′, 113′, 114′, thus providing adhesion force and electricinsulation therebetween.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17 d to 17 f, in the operation of partialcutting and complete cutting (S14), a laminate composed of the metalplates 111′, 112′, 113′,114′ with the adhesive insulation members 115′disposed therebetween is partially cut along the length to form a slit116′; the slit 116′, which is formed by the partial cutting, is filledwith an adhesive insulation member 115′; and then the laminate composedof the metal plates 111′, 112′, 113′,114′ is completely cut in athickness direction. In other words, as shown in FIG. 17d , the laminatecomposed of the metal plates 111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ is partially cutalong its length, thus forming the slit 116′ to a predetermined depth.Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 17e , the slit 116′ is filled with theadhesive insulation member 115′. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 17f , thelaminate composed of the metal plates 111′, 112′, 113′, 114′ iscompletely cut in a thickness, thus separating one finished substrate710 from the laminate.

As a result, the finished substrate 710 is configured such that aplurality of regions are arranged in plural rows and plural columns.More specifically, the substrate 710 contains a plurality of regionsarranged in a matrix pattern, and the respective regions areelectrically isolated from each other. Furthermore, the plurality ofregions have the same surface area or different surface areas. When thelaminate is completely cut, a horizontal interval (t) will define athickness of the finished substrate 710 in a vertical direction.Likewise, the plurality of regions have the same surface area ordifferent surface areas. After the operations of partially cutting andcompletely cutting (S14), burrs and scratches are eliminated, and apolishing process may be performed to efficiently reflect the lightemitted from the light emitting chip.

Subsequently, the operation of forming a conductive layer and a terminallayer (S15), the operation of forming a barrier (S16), the operation ofattaching light emitting chips (S17), the operation of bonding wires(S18) and the operation of forming a protective layer (S19) may befurther performed, thus providing the finished optical device accordingto the still further embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, the operation of forming a conductive layer and a terminallayer (S15), the operation of forming a barrier (S16), the operation ofattaching light emitting chips (S17), the operation of bonding wires(S18) and the operation of forming a protective layer (S19) aresubstantially identical to those of the previous embodiment.Accordingly, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The above descriptions have been disclosed to illustrate exemplaryembodiments for implementing an optical device according to the presentinvention. The present invention is not intended to be limited to theabove embodiments, and those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in theaccompanying claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The optical device and method of manufacturing the optical deviceaccording to the present invention uses aluminum or aluminum alloy as asubstrate, thus allowing heat generated from a light emitting chip to berapidly dissipated outside through the substrate.

Furthermore, since the optical device and method of manufacturing theoptical device according to the present invention use aluminum oraluminum alloy serving as wiring layers, there is no need to formadditional complicated wiring layers.

In addition, since the optical device and method of manufacturing theoptical device according to the present invention separates a substrateusing a plurality of insulation layers, a plurality of light emittingchips can be connected to each other in series, in parallel or inseries-parallel, thus realizing a surface emitter without difficulty.

What is claimed is:
 1. A metal substrate for an optical devicecomprising: a metal plate having a top surface and a bottom surface andincluding a plurality of metal portions; a plurality of insulationregions, each passing vertically through the thickness of the metalplate; and a plurality of light emitting chips disposed on a pluralityof the metal portions; wherein the light emitting chips are attached ina zigzag pattern to the metal portions.